DCI Gene Hunt and Audi join forces to auction iconic ‘Ashes to Ashes’ car for BBC Children in Need
Bids are currently being invited for the famous red Audi ‘Ur quattro’ used as the formidable sidekick to DCI Gene Hunt in the BBC hit drama series Ashes to Ashes. The car will be sold to the highest bidder in an online auction for this year’s BBC Children in Need charity appeal, the highlight of which will be a live televised show airing on BBC1 on the evening of Friday November 14.
The iconic sports car, which is currently owned by the BBC and was famously ‘fired up’ by Hunt in each episode, is a 1983 example featuring a two-valve-per-cylinder version of the legendary turbocharged five-cylinder petrol engine. It has undergone a major restoration by Audi UK to ensure that it looks its very best for this auspicious occasion.
The actor Phil Glenister, who played Hunt, has also added value to this unique mechanical supporting act by personally signing an autograph underneath its bonnet, and as a further reminder of its colourful career on the small screen has also added his character's "fire up the quattro" slogan.
In an accompanying video specially shot in support of the BBC Children in need fundraising campaign, Glenister also gets behind the wheel and says: "If you want to fire up the quattro, first you have to fire up your wallets!"
The auction is currently underway at the BBC Children in Need eBay shop, and ends on Sunday November 16 at 2100hrs.
The event has a special significance because the Ur quattro and BBC Children in Need share a 34th birthday: the quattro made its debut at the Geneva Motor Show in 1980, the same year BBC Children in Need was founded.
In a poll held in 2013 by Auto Express magazine, the Ashes to Ashes quattro was voted number four in a list of the top 40 most famous television cars of all time. The model itself became the world’s first large volume all-wheel-drive production car, breaking the mould in engineering terms and ushering in a new era in motorsport spearheaded by legendary World Rally Championship-winning versions. The quattro remains hugely desirable today amongst collectors and enthusiasts.
Article source: www.audi.co.uk